Packaging machine

ABSTRACT

A packaging arrangement comprising a pair of turntables operable intermittently in synchronism with each other. Blank cartons are partially erected on one turntable and completed on the other turntable. The carton blanks move onto the first turntable along a first loading path along a radius of the first turntable after which they move along the periphery of the first turntable for 270*. At this point, they move onto a straight discharge path which lies on radii of both the first and second turntables. The partially erected carton is completed on this second turntable as it travels for 270* in a direction opposite to the direction of travel of the first turntable. The cartons are then removed onto a discharge path which lies on a radius of the second turntable. Consequently, the first loading path of the first turntable and the final discharging path are parallel to each other and each of them in perpendicular to the said straight discharge path between the two turntables.

United States Patent 1191 Christensson 1 1 Oct. 2, 1973 [54] PACKAGING MACHINE FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1 1 lnvemori g g z r Bromma 676,707 6 1939 Germany 53 183 F too 0 m, we en 1 [73] Assignee: Christenssone Maskiner & Patenter 'T' Emmi'feFRObert Sprum Aktiebolag, Bmmma near Asszstant Examiner-Horace Culver Stockholm Swedsn Att0rneyLarson, Taylor & Hmds [22] Filed: Aug. 23, 1971 '57] ABSTRACT [21] Appl. No; 174,033 A packaging arrangement comprising a pair of turnta bles operable intermittently in synchronism with each other. Blank cartons are partially erected on one turn- Forelgn Application Prmnty Data table and completed on the other turntable. The carton Sept' swede l 999/70 blanks move onto the first turntable along a first loading path along a radius of the first turntable after which 521 US. Cl. 53/186, 53/282 they move along the periphery of the first mmtaba for [511 f B65b 43/26 1365b 43/48 B65b 43/50 270. At this point, they move onto a straight discharge Fleld 0 Search p lies on radii of both the first and Second 53/276 282 turntables. The partially erected carton is completed on this second turntable as it travels for 270 in a direc- [56] References cued tion opposite to the direction of travel of the first turn- UNITED STATE PA table. The cartons are then removed onto a discharge 3,599,391 8/1971 Allen etal. 53 186 path which lies on a radius of the second turntable. 1,893,169 1/1933 Hartmann 53/183 Consequently, the first loading path of the first turnta- 3,l06,048 10/1 63 Marasso et a 53/l86 X ble and the final discharging path are parallel to each 23l8r208 5/1943 a! 53/186 X other and each of them in perpendicular to the said 3 straight discharge path between the two turntables. 2:973:608 3/1961 KilliOn 53/186 x 10 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures 3; go 36 K a O "n 34 3 I 32 g ES 3 PACKAGING MACHINE The present invention relates to a packaging machine, by means of which one can open a flat collapsed package into a form, rectangular in cross-section, close its bottom, fill the package and close its top in a continuous procedure. As used here, the term a continuous procedure means that the machine is a complete machine, so that the package without being put in store in any intermediate state will run through the machine in a direct consequence after each other. Certain parts of the machine nevertheless work intermittently in so far as they may stand-still for example when they receive a package, move into the next station or treat this package in said station and so on.

Machines of this general type are known, but hitherto they always required a very great space and were difficult to overlook, especially if some operation proved necessary due to some accidental erroneous function of the package treated. It is noted that packages treated in machines of this type are always made from cardboard or similar rather fragile material and one can thereby not avoid the fact that one or some packages at rarely occuring times are wrinkled or folded in an erroneous form. Before said packages have been filled with the material to be packed, they are rather light, and one could also not avoid, at rarely occuring cases one or several packages entering into the machine in an inclined position. In order that the functioning of the machine should not be put in danger it has therefore been regarded necessary to take steps for protection in the form of feelers for such erroneous functioning, which, as soon as an erroneous functioning was observed, will stop the machine. The machine operator thereby had immediately to take the required correction steps, usually comprising removal of the concerned wrongly functioning package from the machine, whereafter this was again started anew. It is of the utmost importance that all parts of the machine are easily available for such operation. Machines hitherto known of the above mentioned general type have not been constructed in such a way that one could easily take the said correction steps at all the places where such may perhaps prove to be required.

The present invention refers to a construction of a machine of the above indicated general type, in which the said disadvantages are effectively done away with, and which at all places where an erroneous functioning of a package may occur are easily and comfortably available from outside in order to take said correction steps.

The invention relates to the type of machines which have been called discontinuously acting turntable machines, in which at least one turntable existed, which in its pockets received the package, during its stepwise turning movement subjected said package to certain steps and thereafter, when the machine was in standstill between two turning times, unloaded the package.

According to the invention the machine contains two such stepwise working turntables, moving in synchronism. Each has one active part comprising at least substantially three quarters of its turn. The first turntable which is arranged to close the package in its bottom therefore retains the package during its movement over the said are of three quarters of a turn, whereafter the package is unloaded into a path, which thereby will be positioned substantially perpendicular to the initial feeder direction for the package. This path is straight and runs to the second packaging turntable which also treats the package during at least approximately three quarters of its turn, but which moves stepwise in a direction, opposite to the direction of movement of said first mentioned turntable, and which unloads the package in a straight path running in the continuation of a direction parallel to the initial feeder path.

The invention will be further described below in connection with a form of execution shown in the appended drawing, but, of course, it is understood that the invention is not limited to this specific form of execution but that all different kinds of modifications may occur within the frame of the invention.

In the drawings, thus FIG. 1 shows a picture of a package, which has been chosen as an example for such packages, which could be treated in a machine according to the invention, and FIG. 2 shows in highly schematical form the arrangement of the two tumtables as well as the connection path arranged between them. FIG. 3 shows in a more detailed form the first turntable, and FIG. 4 shows in a corresponding detailed form the second turntable.

Although the invention is not limited to the use for packaging a given product or for closing a given kind of package, it will be described below as an example in connection with a given type of package known per se, which is shown in FIG. 1. This package comprises a tube-formed part, which in the state in which it is delivered from the manufacturer of packages is evenly collapsed but in FIG. 1 it is shown in perspective, partially erected in its state developed into a form which is or rectangular in cross-section. It contains four sides 10, ll, 12 and 13, joined by means of an overlap joint 14. At the upper as well as at the lower end it is provided with narrow flaps, from which due to the method of reproduction only the flaps 15, 16, 17 and 18 existing at the upper edge are visible. In the flat evenly collapsed state of the package, of course, the eight flaps are placed in the same level as the pertaining sides, but the intention is that they should be folded over to a position perpendicular to the sides, as also indicated in FIG. 1, along creasing lines, by means of which they are combined with their sides concerned. They are therefore also cut in an inclined direction at 45 at the corners, so that they are adapted to abut each other edge by edge. The intention now is that a piece 19 of oblate made from some suitable material, which is shown separately below the package, should at the closing of the bottom of said package be pressed upwardly onto the flaps positioned perpendicular to the sides, whereafter the edges 20 of the oblate should be folded upwardly against the edges and attached to them, so that the edges of the oblate will be positioned at the dotted lines 21. In packages of this type it is usual that one produces the four sides from the cardboard, covered at least on its outside by plastic, and that the oblate is made from weak, often transparent, thin plastic, so that the attachment of the folded up edges 20 of the plastic oblate to the lower edges of the real package made from cardboard may take place by plastic welding. After the package has been filled with the material to be packed in the same, the upper edges 22 are turned down along their creasing lines, and a corresponding piece 23 of plastic oblate is attached over the package, whereby its edges 24 are folded downwardly and welded to the sides of the proper package, as indicated by the dotted lines 25.

The description of the package does in no way mean i that the invention shall be limited to just this kind of a package. Rather the invention is usable independently of what type of package is used. The description of the package therefore is provided only in order that one can thereby more easily understand the following description of the machine and its function with reference to FIGS. 2, 3 and 4.

For an explanation of the main parts of the packaging machine reference is now made to FIG. 2.

A store of flat evenly collapsed packages according to the above is shown at 30. The arrangement indicated by 31 schematically represents a to and fro oscillatory arm which at its end is provided with a suction nozzle, said nozzle from time to time being put under vacuum. Whenn the suction nozzle is put under vacuum and simultaneously is swung in a counter clockwise direction, it will carry the formost positioned flat evenly collapsed package with it past a wedge-formed part 32, which forces the package to fold up into its form rectangular or squared in cross-section, as shown in FIG. 1. In this state the package is brought into the turntable 33, which is provided with a number of pockets for reception of packages of this type. At the place 34 during the stepwise turning of the turntable in the direction of the arrow 35, two flaps of the type 22, placed opposite to each other, are folded inwardly, and at the place 36 the two remaining flaps are folded inwardly. At the place 37 the oblate 19 is brought up onto the lower side of the package in order to be attached to the flaps, and at the place 38 a welding tool is brought upwardly against the oblate, which tool is effective to fold the oblate around the creasing line separating the flaps from the sides of the package, simultaneously as the outermost edges of the oblate are welded to the corresponding parts of the sides of the package. In the place 39 finally the formed weld is cooled. The bottom of the package is thereafter closed.

At the place 40, which is situated 270 away from the introduction place, the package thus closed in its bottom is fed out from its pocket in the turntable 33 in order to be transferred to the straight connection path 41 to the turntable 42. During passage along said connection path 41 the package passes below a filler device 43 by means of which it is filled with the material to be packed. Thereafter the package passes on to the turntable 42, which turns in a stepwise movement in the direction of the arrow 44.

In the turntable 42 the upper mouth of the package is subjected to a treatment, which could be said to form the complete mirror image picture of the treatment to which the bottom of the package was subjected in the turntable 33. At the place 45, thus, two flaps opposite to each other are folded inwardly at the mouth edge, and at the place 46 the two remaining flaps are folded inwardly. At the place 47 the oblate is brought downwardly against the inwardlyfolded flaps. At the place 48 a welding takes place with folding downwardly of the overlapping edge parts of the upper oblate, and at the place 49 cooling of the weld takes place, whereafter the closed packages are brought out at the place 50 to a path 51, which serves for transportation of the ready packages. It should be observed that also the turntable 42 has an effective working angle of 270, and that consequently the path 41 runs perpendicular to the two pathes 30 and 51, whereas these run parallel to each other. Hereby one will obtain an optimum of availability for taking correction steps in the case of a functional error of any package. Packages exist in the turntable 33 only within the angle of 270, comprising the places 34 39, and along all of this angle the circumference of the turntable is free from other machinery arrangements which could otherwise prevent the availability. The are from the place 40 and further downwardly to the feeder place is difficult to get to, but here also no packages exist, and the need for correction arrangements therefore does not exist. The same applies to the turntable 42, which is easily available within the part of the 270 are where there are packages present, but less easily available within the part of the arc, where there are no packages. The straight path 41 is easily available from both sides.

Hereafter the separate parts of thee machine are subjected to a further detailed description in connection to FIGS. 3 and 4.

FIG. 3 thus shows a more complete picture of the turntable 33 according to FIG. 2. Thus, one sees in the lowermost part of the figure the store of flat evenly collapsed packages, although in this case the store 30 has been shown without such packages. The packages are arranged for use by the machine in this store by being stapled up in a vertical position on a couple of bars 52 and 53, supported in the sideward direction by bars 54 and 55, resp. The suction nozzle which was shown in FIG. 2 to be applied on the arm 31 is indicated in FIG. 3 by 56. In the shown form of execution it is assumed that the packages are creased in such a way that at their development into right angled cross-section, they will be of rectangular form. The suction nozzle 56 thereby is applied in such a way that it will engage a short side on the future package, and when the suction nozzle 56 is swung by means of the rather short arm 31, this short side is also swung out, so that it will assume an inclined position against the two long sides of the package, which means in other words that the package is preliminarily opened. A pusher 57 which is geared oscillatably about a centre 58 engages this partly opened package and pushes it into a pocket in the turntable, whereby the short side put in inclined position by the suction nozzle 56 will pass the inclined guide rail 59, corresponding to the detail 32 in FIG. 2. In this way the package is brought into a pocket in the turntable, which is at this time in stand-still, said pocket being indicated at 60.

The turntable thereafter is turned one step in the direction of the arrow 35, FIG. 2, or in other words, in the clockwise direction. Tools 61, 62, the details of which do not form any part of the present invention, and which may be of any kind suitable for the present package, here enter for folding the two support flaps 22, see FIG. 1, of the package, opposite to each other, which means in other words the flaps which in the said position of the package are placed in parallel to the tangent of the circumference of the turntable. During the next turning of the turntable the package 63 is transferred to a position above further tools 64, which have for their purpose to fold up the two remaining flaps, so that all four flaps will thereafter be positioned in a level with the future bottom of the package. Also the details of these tools do not form any part of the invention, and they may therefore assume any suitable form, dependent upon the kind of the package treated.

In the next turning movement, taking place intermittently of the turntable, the package is transferred into a position at which it is provided with an oblate under its bottom. Suitably this oblate is point-welded to the package flaps, so that it will remain in correct position in relation to the package during its continuous treatment. The means for feeding the oblate and for its point welding to the flaps of the package have not been shown in the drawing. Thereafter the stepwise turning of the turntable continues until the package arrives at the position shown in FIG. 2 as the position 38, at which a welding tool is brought up against the bottom of the package. This welding tool, for instance, may be turnable about a shaft 66, controlled by a cam wheel 67, running over a cam disk, which is not shown at the drawing, so that it is turned upwardly and outwardly in the moment when the package has stopped its movement in the said position. The welding tool is so formed that it will not only by its heat weld the oblate to the even flaps but also fold the outwardly extending edge parts of the oblate upwardly onto the sides of the package and weld them to said sides. The package thereafter is closed at its bottom, and after two further steps it is brought forward to the position inside of a hook 68 with two cams 68' and 68", resp., placed perpendicular to each other. The arm 68" is so positioned that the package is stopped in its movement exactly in the correct position to be received by the rails, limiting the channel in the straight transporting part 41, see FIG. 2. The hook 68 is controlled by means of two arms 69', 69", which at their outer ends are connected to each other by means of a yoke 70 carrying up the hook part 68".

The last mentioned arrangement functions in the following way:

The package, thus closed in bottom, is in the above mentioned way brought into the angle between the two arms 68 and 68", resp., of the hook 68 and the turntable again stops in its intermittent movement. At this moment, the two arms 69' and 69" are turned about their shafts 71' and 71", resp., in the clockwise direction so that the hook 68 is displaced in a slight arcuate movement to the right thereby carrying the package with it. By the ends of the two sideward borders in the channel 41 being inclined in a way as indicated by 72' and 72", the displacement of the package into the channel 41 in correct position is ensured. This package thereby pushes the package earlier existing in said channel in front of itself, so that firstly a package which is not yet filled will get into position under the filler apparatus 43, and secondly the already filled package, which is in the front of the row of packages is pushed into a pocket of the second turntable 42, see FIG. 2.

The details of the filler device for the package are of no decisive importance for the present invention except that it should be arranged within the range of the straight part 41 between the two turntables.

It is now apparent that the two turntables have to be in stand-still during the time when a package is displaced out from the turntable 33 in order to be taken up by the straight path 41, simultaneously with a package being pushed from the straight path 41 into a pocket in the turntable 42. This means that the movement between the turntables 33 and 42 must not only be synchronous in the sense that they describe the same number of full turns in the same time during their successive turning movement, but also that the movement must in addition thereto also be completely syntonous, which means that every discongruence in the movement of one turntable in the form of an intermittent stop shall completely correspond to a discongruence in the movement of the second turntable in the form of an identical intermittence, which should further occur simultaneously.

The means used in the turntable 42 forr putting on an oblate or for closing the package in any other way at its top end may, dependent upon the kind of package be of the same type as those which have been described above in connection with the turntable 33, or they may be of another type. As mentioned above, the present invention is not limited to a given execution of the package except that it should be rectangular or squareformed in cross-section, and that it should be closable in its bottom as well as in its top by machine work. If the package happens to be of the specific kind shown in FIG. 1, one has therefore to arrange means for closing the top as the package travels in the counter clockwise direction along the circumference of the turntable 42, said means being of identically the same shape as the corresponding ones already described in the turntable 33, only turned mirror image-like and engaging the package from above. During their movement in the turntable 42 said packages rest on rails, against which they are supported by their now closed bottoms. These rails in FIG. 4 are indicated at 78 and 78".

It should therefore be observed that in the turntable 33 the packages are retained in their pockets by means of clamping means engaging their sides because they could not be supported from below. This'results from the fact that at the beginning of the treatment in the turntable 33 the lowermost parts of the packages comprise the edges of the flaps 22 at the lower end, but during the procedure of treatment these will be turned inwardly, so that the level of the lower edge of the package will vary. In the turntable 42, however, the packages are filled and therefore rather heavy, which causes difficulties in keeping them in place by means of clamping devices engaging from the sides, but on the other hand the package is closed and even on its lower side within all of the action range of the turntable 42, and therefore it is more suitable from several points of view to carry the packages through the action range of this turntable, supported by the lower side of the package, for instance by means of rails 78', 78" as shown in the drawing. These rails may be rigidly applied, so that the package slides over them, but as a rule it is more suitable that the rails are connected with parts of the turntable, turning intermittently, so that the packages are in stand-still in relation to the rails.

For the above mentioned reasons such parts of the turntable which take care of the closing of the top of the package have not been shown in FIG. 4. However, after the package has moved stepwise along 'an arc of 270 in the counter clockwise direction within the turntable 42, it should be removed in order to be transferred to the feed-out path 51, see again FIG. 2. For

this purpose one may arrange a hook device of principally the same type as the one 68 just described, but the hooks have now to be turned in the opposite direction or in other words the hook device must form a mirror image of the hook device 68. The last mentioned hook device is shown at 73', 73" and is guided by a couple of arms 74, 74", turnable about shafts 75', 75" and connected by means of a yoke 76, which carries up the hook part 73". The function of this arrangement will not be difficult to understand, because it is identially the same as the function of the already described hook arrangement 68 71. The two hook arrangements 68 71 and 73 '76, of course, are arranged to work completely synchronously and syntonously.

By means of the hook arrangement 73 76 the package is pushed out from the turntable 42 into a path which is limited by an even slider bottom 77 and side rails 79 and 79". This path for instance may run to a collection place for the ready made packages.

I claim:

1. A packaging arrangement for forming and closing cartons comprising:

first and second turntables intermittently rotatable about their respective vertical axes synchronously with each other at the same peripheral speed so as to move stepwise with each other and to dwell at the same time,

the first turntable including a loading station including means for receiving carton blanks and a discharge station including means for discharging partially erected cartons, the latter station spaced substantially 270 about the periphery of the first turntable from the loading station in the direction of movement of the first turntable, a straight loading path at the loading station and a straight discharge path at the discharge station, the two said paths lying along extensions of radii of the first turntable and hence being substantially perpendicular to each other, and means at stations between the loading station and the discharge station for erecting the said carton blanks into partially erected cartons including a bottom and sides, filling means for filling the partially erected cartons, and the second turntable being rotatable in a direction opposite from that of the first turntable and including a loading station including means for receiving partially erected cartons from the said straight discharge path of the first turntable, which straight path also lies along an extension of a radius of the second turntable, and a discharge station spaced substantially 270 about the periphery of the second turntable from the loading station thereof in the direction of travel of the second turntable, a discharge path including means for discharging finished cartons from the second turntable, said second turntable discharge path also lying along an extension of a radius of the second turntable and hence being substantially perpendicular to the said straight discharge path between the first and second turntables, and being parallel to the said loading path of the first turntable, and means between the loading and discharge stations of the second turntable for closing the tops of the cartons.

2. A packaging arrangement according to claim 1, said filling means including means for filling the partially erected cartons while they are on the said straight path between the first and second turntables.

3. A packaging arrangement according to claim 1, in which the first turntable includes means for retaining the cartons by clamping them from their sides.

4. A packaging arrangement according to claim 1, in which said straight path between the two turntables includes side rails for supporting the partially erected cartons in an upright position as they travel therealong.

S. A packaging arrangement according to claim 1, in which the said second turntable includes side rails for guiding the cartons as they travel therealong.

6. A packaging arrangement according to claim 5, in which the said side rails are rigidly attached to the said second turntable.

7. A packaging arrangement according to claim 1, including a catch means operable at a moment when both turntables are at a dwell for catching partially erected cartons after they have passed through the stations of the first turntable and reached the radius of the first turntable which includes the said straight path from the first turntable to the second turntable and for moving such partially erected carton onto said straight path between the first and second cartons.

8. A packaging arrangement according to claim 7, in which the catch means comprises a two-armed hook, arranged with one of its arms to stop the turning movement of the carton on the first turntable and with its other arm to displace the carton out from the first turntable onto the said straight path as the catch means is operated to move radially outwardly.

9. A packaging arrangement according to claim 8, in which the hook comprises a first arm extending tangentially in relation to the turning direction of the first turntable and a second arm connected thereto and extending substantially radially of the first turntable, said second arm being arranged to stop the movement of the carton in the turning direction of the first turntable and the said first arm being arranged by its movement in a substantially radial direction to displace the carton out from the first turntable onto the discharge path.

10. A packaging arrangement according to claim 9, in which the substantially radial arm of the hook is carried by two parallel rods, each turntable about a pivot axis, said rods being operatively connected at their outer ends to the hook so that upon swinging movement of the said rods about their respective axes in one direction, the tangential arm of the hook which displaces the carton describes an essentially radial movement in relation to the first turntable.

IF :k k 

1. A packaging arrangement for forming and closing cartons comprising: first and second turntables intermittently rotatable about their respective vertical axes synchronously with each other at the same peripheral speed so as to move stepwise with each otHer and to dwell at the same time, the first turntable including a loading station including means for receiving carton blanks and a discharge station including means for discharging partially erected cartons, the latter station spaced substantially 270* about the periphery of the first turntable from the loading station in the direction of movement of the first turntable, a straight loading path at the loading station and a straight discharge path at the discharge station, the two said paths lying along extensions of radii of the first turntable and hence being substantially perpendicular to each other, and means at stations between the loading station and the discharge station for erecting the said carton blanks into partially erected cartons including a bottom and sides, filling means for filling the partially erected cartons, and the second turntable being rotatable in a direction opposite from that of the first turntable and including a loading station including means for receiving partially erected cartons from the said straight discharge path of the first turntable, which straight path also lies along an extension of a radius of the second turntable, and a discharge station spaced substantially 270* about the periphery of the second turntable from the loading station thereof in the direction of travel of the second turntable, a discharge path including means for discharging finished cartons from the second turntable, said second turntable discharge path also lying along an extension of a radius of the second turntable and hence being substantially perpendicular to the said straight discharge path between the first and second turntables, and being parallel to the said loading path of the first turntable, and means between the loading and discharge stations of the second turntable for closing the tops of the cartons.
 2. A packaging arrangement according to claim 1, said filling means including means for filling the partially erected cartons while they are on the said straight path between the first and second turntables.
 3. A packaging arrangement according to claim 1, in which the first turntable includes means for retaining the cartons by clamping them from their sides.
 4. A packaging arrangement according to claim 1, in which said straight path between the two turntables includes side rails for supporting the partially erected cartons in an upright position as they travel therealong.
 5. A packaging arrangement according to claim 1, in which the said second turntable includes side rails for guiding the cartons as they travel therealong.
 6. A packaging arrangement according to claim 5, in which the said side rails are rigidly attached to the said second turntable.
 7. A packaging arrangement according to claim 1, including a catch means operable at a moment when both turntables are at a dwell for catching partially erected cartons after they have passed through the stations of the first turntable and reached the radius of the first turntable which includes the said straight path from the first turntable to the second turntable and for moving such partially erected carton onto said straight path between the first and second cartons.
 8. A packaging arrangement according to claim 7, in which the catch means comprises a two-armed hook, arranged with one of its arms to stop the turning movement of the carton on the first turntable and with its other arm to displace the carton out from the first turntable onto the said straight path as the catch means is operated to move radially outwardly.
 9. A packaging arrangement according to claim 8, in which the hook comprises a first arm extending tangentially in relation to the turning direction of the first turntable and a second arm connected thereto and extending substantially radially of the first turntable, said second arm being arranged to stop the movement of the carton in the turning direction of the first turntable and the said first arm being arranged by its movement In a substantially radial direction to displace the carton out from the first turntable onto the discharge path.
 10. A packaging arrangement according to claim 9, in which the substantially radial arm of the hook is carried by two parallel rods, each turntable about a pivot axis, said rods being operatively connected at their outer ends to the hook so that upon swinging movement of the said rods about their respective axes in one direction, the tangential arm of the hook which displaces the carton describes an essentially radial movement in relation to the first turntable. 